Scottish Holidays and Holiday Cottages Scotland

❚ This page contains some affiliate links and we may receive a small commission for purchases made, but this comes at no extra cost to you and does not influence our editorial choices.

Looking for Scottish holidays? Read about our staycation ideas below for all sorts of Scottish getaways – from staying in the heart of Cairngorms National Park to gin tasting in Edinburgh.

For more travel inspiration, check out our picks of the best hotels in Scotland and the best Scottish whisky distilleries to visit.

Scottish holidays for foodies

Discover local produce on the Isle of Skye

Skye, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides, boasts a rich natural larder of ingredients and historic traditions of preservation using local techniques. Chef Calum Montgomery champions these at Edinbane Lodge, a converted 16th-century hunting lodge whose restaurant is dedicated to the island’s crofts, seas and artisan producers. Discover more from Calum about what makes the Isle of Skye cuisine so special.

Broadford’s Gasta transforms the island’s ingredients into gourmet pizzas like the Ochd topped with Stornoway black pudding, plum and apple chutney and fresh chillies. And the menu at the secluded Stein Inn, the oldest inn on Skye, focusses on sustainable seafood from the Lochbay shores, with a choice of more than 130 different Scottish whiskies.

Go glamping in the Cairngorms

Inshriach is a 200-acre mini Highland estate in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. It’s home to a gin distillery where owner Walter Micklethwait concocts small-batch Speyside gins in an award-winning shed.

The estate's elegant country house is perfect for a large family gathering (sleeping up to 18, with or without a chef), but for a back-to-nature experience there's a cluster of quirky glamping options peppered throughout the tangled woodland. The four off-grid beds for two include a yurt hunkered into the hillside with views over the River Spey to the mountains beyond. The bonkers Beer Moth is a converted 1950s fire truck, now kitted out with a Victorian double bed and wood burner. The quaint shepherd's hut is old-school romantic and cradled by juniper bushes (the key ingredient in gin – most of the botanicals are foraged from the estate), but for those who want something a little more contemporary, there's the Bothy Project, partly funded by the Royal Scottish Academy, and an artists' residence for half the year with a bare-bones bush shower and compost loo.

Check rates and availability at canopyandstars.co.uk

Take a cooking class in Perthshire

The story began with an escape to the country. Ex-banker-turned-chef Chris Rowley and his wife Rachel dabbled with the supper club concept in Edinburgh before taking the plunge and moving to rural Perthshire. Their first venture, Ballintaggart Farm – a rustic restaurant with rooms and cookery school – was an instant hit. It's no longer a working farm, but much of the produce is grown in the kitchen garden and orchard. Alongside cookery classes, they also run seasonal feast nights that showcase the local larder.

Then, in 2018, the duo turned a once-tired Victorian hotel, The Grandtully, into a sleek gourmet getaway. In the restaurant, the daily changing menu features small plates such as Murthly Estate venison carpaccio, fermented salsify and rocket, while more filling dishes include Loch Etive sea trout, sea kale and lemon aioli. ballintaggart.com

Have a beach barbecue in Fife

You can flip flop from your room to the sand in seconds at The Ship Inn in the seaside village of Elie. The wee Kingdom of Fife, just a pebble's throw from Edinburgh, is famously foodie. Curving around the coast there's legendary fish and chips in Anstruther; the poshest farm shop in Scotland in St Andrews, complete with café, steak barn and butchery classes; and just inland, Fife's gourmet hotspot, Kinneuchar Inn.

The Ship, meanwhile, is well-known for its beach cricket during the summer season and barbecues in the beachfront beer garden. As well as its signature burgers in a brioche bun and Belhaven Best battered haddock and chunky chips, the seasonal menu champions local shellfish and seafood.

Take a gastronomic pitstop on the shores of Loch Fyne

Inver, an award-winning outpost on the shores of Loch Fyne, is the ultimate west coast pilgrimage for foodies. After stints at Noma and Fäviken, chef Pam Brunton and partner Rob Latimer took a punt on this lochside spot in 2015.

Inver is a visionary restaurant in an old whitewashed croft house, where traditional Caledonian dishes are reimagined and elevated not just to another level, but a whole new stratosphere. Using local wild and farmed ingredients, a la carte dishes include langoustines and crab from the Loch, whilst the innovative tasting menu invites you to slow down for an exploration of Scottish produce.

If you’re staying over, splash out on one of the luxury bothies. Breakfast delivered to your door in a wicker basket is a gourmet treat, with homemade bircher muesli or granola, fruit compote and yogurt, freshly baked pastries and bread, eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Go foraging in Galloway

Galloway Wild Food's mycophile and wild food guru Mark Williams offers a range of foraging experiences and tours. Sign up for a three-hour tramp through the woods in search of ceps and chanterelles, as well as edible roots and shoots from the forest floor. He also offers coastal and hedgerow foraging, and three-day sea kayaking wild food adventures off the west coast.

Based in Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway, the natural larder here is overflowing with the likes of reedmace and wild radish, samphire and sweet cicely. Accommodation tips on the website include nearby glamping spots, local inns and guesthouses such as the renovated Woodlyn B&B in the village.

;

Take a road trip along the Malt Whisky Trail

Take a stunning road trip along Speyside's Malt Whisky Trail, which winds its way from Morayshire's coast through undulating hills peppered with more than 50 distilleries. The trail links nine of the distilleries, including Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet (stop off for tours and tastings) and the Speyside Cooperage, which makes whisky barrels.

A perfect pitstop along the way is the village of Aberlour on the banks of the River Spey, home to the Aberlour distillery, Walkers Shortbread and the Mash Tun – a whisky bar with rooms. Expect more than 100 single malts and blends, including the exclusive Glenfarclas Family Casks, a collection of 52 single cask whiskies, one for each consecutive year from 1952 to 2003. The price of a dram? From £3.50 to a wallet-busting £1,500. After a nightcap, stumble up to bed in one of the distillery-themed rooms (the Glenlivet Room has sweeping views over the River Spey and a romantic roll-top tub).

For more like this, check out our full guide to all the best Scottish whisky distilleries to visit.

;

Stay on a farm in Perthshire

Guardswell Farm's 150 acres of grassland cradles a rural getaway where you can switch off, soak up the silence and learn about the land. The family-run enterprise offers an eclectic range of courses and foodie events throughout the year, from spoon carving to no-dig organic vegetable growing with pioneering horticulturalist Charles Dowding.

Sleep in the Pinterest-pretty clutch of cabins, cottages or farmhouse (sleeps 10) scattered across the farm, including The Pendicle – a larch-clad bolthole with a wildflower-sown roof, wood-burning stove, fire pit and jaw-dropping views from the decking over a field of Hebridean sheep. Or opt for The Infield, an off-grid hilltop hideaway with a stargazing window above the bed.

Check rates and availability at guardswell.co.uk

Discover a farmhouse for foodies in the Cairngorms

At the end of a private road through the forest on the Rothiemurchus Estate, Achnahatnich House is an off-the-beaten-track hideaway in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. Built in 1900 and once home to tenant farmers, this tastefully renovated three-bedroom house now has a Scandi-chic vibe, its white wood-panelling and soft dove grey palette offset by the odd splash of mustard and Delftware blue.

The large open-plan kitchen is the perfect place to whip up a feast, but if you don't fancy cooking you can pre-order a range of freshly cooked meals to be stocked in the fridge (a whole week's worth if you like) from the Rothiemurchus farm shop, made with produce from the estate – think hearty beef stroganoff and venison casserole. You'll also find a complimentary welcome hamper stocked with food from the farm shop and, if you're feeling adventurous, you can book a range of focused activities, from pony-trekking to foraging and whisky experiences.

Book a gin-tasting experience in Edinburgh

Edinburgh has a long history of distilling, dating back to the first gin craze in the 1700s. Dutch ‘genever’ was imported through the port of Leith and the city soon had a taste for the juniper-based spirit. Today, the revamped Edinburgh Gin distillery, built around four historic East Market Street arches, is a must-visit for gin lovers.

You can take tours and tasting here, learning about the history, production and different botanicals. Cocktail-making classes, gin and chocolate pairings, or gin and cheese experiences are also available. Stop at the in-house gin distillery bar for signature cocktails showcasing, naturally, plenty of Edinburgh Gin.

Enjoy a luxury staycation in Sutherland

Sumptuous seclusion on a wilderness reserve in the Scottish Highlands is the ultimate staycation. And it comes with a chef. Visit Alladale in Sutherland and never leave the pewter-tinged lochs, brooding glens and heather-sprung moorland of the 23,000-acre estate.

There are three lodges sleeping between four and 14. Two cottages – Ghillie's Rest (sleeps four) and Eagle's Crag (sleeps 4-8) – are kitted out with well-stocked kitchens and freshly prepared meals ready to cook, while the lodge itself sleeps up to 14, complete with gym and sauna. A fully catered experience, Alladale Lodge's 'Conscious Cuisine' approach focuses on local, seasonal and organic ingredients from the state-of-the-art aquaponics garden (the three large greenhouses powered by the estate's hydro-generator ensure zero-waste and zero emissions), along with ethically culled wild venison, local game and trout.

Find family fun at Gleneagles in Perthshire

No longer aimed so squarely at the huntin’, fishin’, golfin’ brigade, five-star Gleneagles still offers a luxury experience but also fun for the whole family. De-tartaned bedrooms are softer and prettier (not least the Royal Lochnagar suite, pictured). There are a range of restaurants and bars to discover throughout your stay, from the two Michelin-starred Andrew Fairlie to more casual brunch and burger options, and a traditional afternoon tea in Glendevon.

With 850 acres to explore – and a vast programme of supervised activities – Gleneagles has always been popular with families. There is Little Glen, a supervised play space for kids up to nine, and The Den, whose video games, air hockey and cinema room should keep older children and teens happy.

Doubles from £495 per night, check availability at booking.com